


Chronicles of College Exams

by AdorabloodthirstyKitty



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, F/M, Gen, Humanstuck, M/M, Nonbinary Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 03:25:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5481635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdorabloodthirstyKitty/pseuds/AdorabloodthirstyKitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>collection of short fics set during finals</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sharing Is Caring

Your name is Tavros Nitram and you've just finished your biology final. Months of studying, weeks of staying up late to cram and do as much extra credit as you could handle, and it's finally over. You don't have any more classes for the day, your next final in a couple days. You can finally breathe a sigh of relief, and are walking along one of the many paths of your campus, taking in the colors of fall leaves, the wind sending a chill down your spine. You hug your coat a little tighter, ducking your head a bit when the wind starts picking up. Just as the wind starts to slow again you turn to your bag, deciding to treat yourself to a peanut butter cookie your best friend Aradia had given you. But before you can pull out the box of homemade cookies something hits you right in the chest, knocking you off your feet and right on your ass. You land with a huff, the air knocked out of you momentarily, a bit dazed from the hit when you realize it wasn't some _thing_ that hit you, but some _one_. You realize a little belatedly that they're talking to you, deciding that maybe you should be listening to their slightly frantic voice.

"Motherfuck I am so fuckin sorry bro, I didn't even fuckin see you! I was all rushin like a motherfucker tryin to get to my next class, didn't even all up and look where the fuck I was goin. Shit are you okay man?"

You blink, squinting a bit at the brightness of the sun, the sky clear except for a couple lingering, puffy clouds. You sit up a bit slowly, wincing a little at the twinge of pain as you sit up but otherwise seeming okay.

"No, it's really alright. I wasn't looking either, it's really okay," you say, finally looking up to face the person who knocked you down. Your mouth kind of hangs open a bit, all thought cut off as you take in their appearance.

The first actual thought that comes to you is 'wow they're gorgeous". Their face and body seem to be lean and long, their worried expression lovely with their big indigo eyes and high cheekbones. You notice how long and dark their eyelashes are, the small curve at the bottom of their nose. Their long dreads pulled back haphazarly in a messy bun atop their head, gold rings shining in their ears. They're honestly the most beautiful person you've ever seen, and you end up sitting there for an embarrassing amount of time just staring at them before realizing you need to actually talk to them and not just gawk like an idiot.

"Uh, sorry. I really didn't mean to run into you. But I'm fine, really. Uh, are you alright?" you ask, scanning them for any visible injuries and not at all to check them out. No, definitely not. Just looking for injuries like a normal, concerned person. Yep, definitely.

You don't see any injuries or blood, they just seem to be a bit worried and maybe a little tired judging by their eyes, which seem about ready to fall shut at any time once they know that you're alright. They give a relieved sigh, standing and dusting themselves off a bit before holding a long, thin hand out to you to help you up. You smile thankfully as they haul you up easily, and end up staring at them again a couple seconds before blushing and sputtering, trying to get your mouth to cooperate and speak.

"Um, would you like a couple cookies? As an apology? Or just, as a gift, I guess? My friend Aradia made them, and I really shouldn't eat all of them," you trail off, turning to pull the box stuffed with cookies out of your bag, opening it and holding it out to them with a small smile. They seem completely surprised, eyes wide as they look over the box of peanut butter cookies before taking a couple in their hand, turning back to look at you. Their eyes are wide in wonder, shining a bit. They look like you just gave them the keys to a mansion or something, like you made all of their wishes come true. You're a bit confused, and before you can say anything else they sniff hard, and you realize they're actually tearing up, a couple stray tears leaking out of the corners of their big, round eyes.

"I'm sorry? Are you okay? Are you allergic?" you ask immediately, completely surprised when they give a choked, watery laugh, wiping at their eyes and shaking their head.

"Fuck, I'm sorry man. I just.. fuckin finals got me stressed as fuck, and this is just so nice? I'm starving man, thank you so much, seriously," they grin, wiping their eyes again and taking a bite of one of the cookies as if to stop themselves from babbling. You can't help but smile, glad that you could brighten their day a little.

"Well, I'm glad I could help. Do you want some more? I won't be able to eat all of these," you reply, holding out the box again. They smile, thanking you with a sniffle as they take a couple more cookies from the box, putting them in a pocket of their baggy sweats.

"Thanks again man, I really appreciate it. I'm not stoppin you from getting to a class or anything am I?"

"I actually just finished the last class I have today."

They nod, humming in acknowledgement before speaking up again.

"Would a brother mind if a motherfucker asked to chill again sometime? You seem like a pretty chill motherfucker."

You're surprised by the proposal, but find yourself smiling as you nod.

"Sure! I'd love to," you grin, and their smile is huge and bright and genuine.

You end up exchanging phone numbers, and you bid them farewell as they hurry the other way down the sidewalk toward their next class. You can't help the smile that stays plastered on your face as you head back to your dorm room, eating a couple cookies on the way, and staying in as you wait for your phone to ring.


	2. Coffee and Fruit Snacks, Pancakes and Eggs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> solradia chapter!

It's 5am when you get up, hearing the tapping of keys and the slurp of some caffeinated monstrosity. You sigh and roll your eyes, heading toward the desk housing Sollux's computer. He's still up, back bent as he types furiously, eyes glued on the blinding screen. You walk up behing him and wrap your arms around his hunched, scrawny shoulders, kissing the  side of his head. He jumps a bit in surprise, turning his head toward you with eyes still on the screen.

"Hey AA," he greets you absently, still absorbed in his programming.

"Morning Sollux. You didn't sleep again."

"I'm fine AA, I'm almost done," he says, turning his head back toward the screen. You stand and go around to sit on the edge of the desk, looking him over. His hair is getting greasy, lying flatter on his head then usual. Empty packs of fruit snacks and granola bars lie scattered around his desk, along with Ramen noodles and empty energy drinks. His eyes are wide, dark bags under them that show how little sleep he's gotten over the past couple days. He looks exhausted and jittery, fingers moving swiftly while the rest of his body looks ready to shut down. You're not letting him do this to himself a minute longer.

"Sollux, I'm giving you 30 seconds to save everything before I pick you up and carry you to bed."

"AA, I'm almost done."

"You've been saying that for three days Sollux, you have 24 seconds."

His mouth flattens in an unhappy line, opening it to speak but huffing out an irritated sigh instead, knowing you won't take his bullshit. He rolls his shoulders, his back popping as he types a few more lines and saves it. He closes everything up just before you turn his chair around, pulling him up by his tiny little wrists. He grumbles something under his breath but you pay it no mind, leading him to bed. He stumbles a bit but shuffles behind you, yawning as you drop his wrist when you step into the bedroom. He climbs into bed without another word, yawning widely before settling in.

"No laptop or cell phone. You need sleep."

He grumbles some more but doesn't reach for his devices, seeming too tired to try. He finally lays back in the pillows, pulling his glasses off and setting them on the bedside table before turning to you with a small, tired smile.

"Night AA."

You can't help but smile back, leaning over to kiss his forehead. "Night Sollux."

You get ready for class and shut the door as quietly as you can, glad he doesn't have classes today.

-

You get home at four in the afternoon, dropping your bag off at the couch and pulling your coat off before heading to the bedroom to check on Sollux. You open the door as quietly as you can, smiling at his serene, sleeping face before shutting the door again. You head for the kitchen, deciding on making him a nice, healthy breakfast for him to wake up to. You pull out pans and ingredients, stirring pancake batter and pulling out eggs, bacon, fruit, everything you can think of. You're flipping blueberry pancakes and stirring eggs and hashbrowns when Sollux shuffles in quietly, wrapping his arms around your waist and settling his sharp chin on your shoulder. You smile, setting the finished pancakes on the stack and turning the heat down on the other stuff before turning to him with a smile.

"Good afternoon. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I feel a lot better now. Thanks AA," he smiles, looking a lot better after 12 hours of sleep.

You stand like that for a little while before pulling away enough to finish cooking, his arms still around you. He pulls away to help carry plates of food to the table, surprised by the amount of food you'd made. You may have gone a bit overboard but you don't regret it, deciding you can put the rest away for him to eat later. Better to have fruit and pancakes then coffee and instant noodles. You sit and enjoy your big breakfast for dinner, making sure he eats his fill before putting the rest away and settling in to watch a movie with him, glad to have him away from the computer for awhile.

"AA, I gotta get back to my assignment," he mumbles, not even trying to pull away as he wraps an arm around you. You lay back and lean against him, settling in to cuddle him as Indiana Jones starts onscreen.

"Shut up and watch the movie, Sollux," you smirk, grin growing as his chuckle shakes his frame before you both settle back for some time to yourselves.


	3. Afterparty

Your name is Tavros Nitram and you're trying to get ready for class as quietly as you can. Your roommate Karkat had mentioned yesterday that he'd be having a study session with some friends, which usually ends up with most of his friends sprawled all over the living room in the morning. After showering and getting dressed you step out and head down the hall, finding a few people sleeping on the floor of the living room. There's a girl you recognize from your biology class on the couch, sleeping against her friend Equius. The floor is filled with people, and you have to edge around near the kitchen to avoid stepping on anyone as you grab a poptart and a thermos, making some hot chocolate.

When you're done eating you finish heating the hot chocolate, pouring it into your thermos and grabbing your backpack to head out for class. You step carefully around the people on the floor, and as you make your way toward the front door you realize some of them are awake when they speak up, quiet and sleepy from all around the room.

"Have a good day."

"Good morning."

"Good luck."

You smile, turning back when you get to the door, thanking them quietly and wishing them a good day before heading out into the hall and out toward campus, in a much better mood after the kind words of complete strangers. You take a sip of your hot chocolate, thinking maybe you should take Karkat up on his offers to sit in on their study sessions.


	4. This Isn't Art Class

Your name is Tavros Nitram and you're currently working on your English final, having just started a couple minutes ago. You're pretty confident, having studied for the past couple of weeks. You've got this. Just as you start on your first writing prompt the door at the back of the room swings open, someone hurrying down the steps and sitting right next to you. You try not to get distracted but can't help but look up and see who came in, finding someone you've never seen before. He's tall and beautiful, with a sharp jaw and sleepy eyes, dark curls a mess atop his head. He smiles at you when he realizes you're looking, his grin making your face heat up before you turn back to your test, trying to ignore the hot new guy sitting beside you. You swallow and get back to work, writing out your short essay, still very aware of the guy sitting beside you as he pulls out a pencil, starts working on the test. He shifts, his knee brushing against yours and you swallow again, willing your face to stop blushing. You try to focus on your test and get back to work.

You both work silently, trying to ignore his knee against your shin as you go through the test fairly quickly. You're about halfway through your test when the guy pauses writing next to you, leaning in and tapping your desk quietly to get your attention. His voice is quiet and gruff, the close proximity and the sound of his voice making you shiver.

"Hey man, what class is this?"

"English?" you reply, not sure why he's asking. His face goes a bit blank, biting his lip before settling back in his chair, running a hand through his curls.

"Fuck. I'm supposed to be in art history," he replies, hand running over his face as he gives a quiet sigh.

Your eyes go a bit wide, looking to your watch before looking back to him.

"It's 10:42, when does your class start?"

"Started like half an hour ago," he mumbles, giving a quiet chuckle. "Welp. Better get my ass over and try to get my damn final done. Sorry for botherin you, brother."

"Tavros. And really, it's fine."

He smiles at that, and you pray that he doesn't notice the slight blush that heats your cheeks.

"Nice name Tavros. I'm Gamzee. Maybe we'll see each other around."

You nod dumbly, realizing belatedly that he's flirting with you before he stands, grabbing his stuff and heading back out the door quickly, giving you a little wave before heading out to his class. You can't help but feel a bit disappointed, hoping you'll see him again soon. As you turn back to your test you spy a small scrap of paper on his desk, looking it over. It's a name and phone number, the name "Gamzee" written a bit messily in purple ink. A little winky clown face is scribbled next to his name and you grin as you put the paper in your pocket, turning back to your test with a smile.


	5. Is That A Fucking Bouncy Castle

 

Your name is Gamzee Makara and you've just finished your last final. You feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders, like you can finally fucking chill after weeks of studying and cramming, after hours of testing. There's a bounce to your step as you all but skip down the sidewalk toward the edge of campus, toward home. But as you walk, the sun shining and the wind chilling you a little, you slow down, seeing something off to the side in the grass. You keep walking, and as you get closer you grin because holy shit it's a bouncy castle. You are gonna have so much fun holy shit. You'd heard people talking about how some of the clubs were doing stuff to help people chill after finals and this is the best thing you've seen. You practically run to the bounce house, dropping your backpack and pulling off your shoes before climbing in and starting to jump, unable to stop from laughing.

You jump and flip, do chartwheels and somersaults, laughing and smiling brightly the whole time. You don't know how long you stay in there but eventually you notice someone standing near the entrance, stopping on your feet and grinning even wider when you realize who it is.

"Tavros! Come bounce with me!" you grin, and he smiles back, seeming a bit hesitant. "Come on Tav, pleeease? Nobody's come in since I been here, shit's lonely. Bounce houses are more fun with more motherfuckers," you grin, bouncing a little as you watch, waiting to see if he'll come in. He stalls a little longer, looking around and looking back to your puppy dog eyes and pouted lip before smiling brighter and pulling off his shoes. You cheer in victory, doing a flip as he sets his shit down outside and shimmies in, smiling brilliantly at you as he starts to bounce with you. You grin, bouncing toward him and grabbing his hands, spinning and bouncing with him with smiles on your faces.

You've known Tav for a few months now, seen him on campus and at a couple of your classes. Motherfucker's the sweetest guy you ever met, and fucking gorgeous to boot. You're happy to have any excuse to see him, and as you both twirl and bounce in this big ol inflatable castle you feel full of helium, feel light and bright and happy as fuck, like you'll float up to the ceiling without his big warm hands in yours. He smiles and laughs along with you, hold steady in your hands, and he's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. You smile, unable to contain all the happiness you're feeling. You lean in and kiss the end of his nose as you fly up in the air, his face going slack with surprise before an even bigger grin stretches across his face, making your heart soar. You feel like you're flying, not even realizing when you both slow to a stop on the floor of the castle, smiling dopily at each other.

You both climb out, one after the other, pulling your shoes on and grabbing your bags. You walk with him, asking about his finals and he smiles, going into a story about his study session with Aradia, his hand slipping into yours easily. You feel your face flush a little and you can't help but smile as you squeeze his hand, heart still light and smile glued to your face as you walk hand in hand.


	6. Fuck You and Fuck This Shitty Class

You sit next to Karkat a usual, watching as he takes a long gulp off his thermos that he filled with two or three different energy drinks mixed together. Motherfucker hasn't been sleeping well again, workin himself ragged. You're glad you got him to sleep a few hours last night but can't wait for finals to be over. You're gonna watch romcoms with him and snuggle up to him and make him fuckin sleep. You take a sip of Faygo as you turn to the teacher, who's started talking. He says good luck when the finals start getting passed around and Karkat flips him off, muttering foul shit about the class that about makes you laugh out loud. You have to duck your head and cover your mouth to keep quiet, shaking in silent chuckles as Karkat passes you your test. You both go through the final, walking out of the class a couple hours later. Karkat's still goin on about how stupid the class is, the workload you got, and you just smile and let him vent.

"Ain't it your major though man? You're gonna have to get used to some of this shit man," you reply, taking another pull of your soda as he drains the last of his energy drink nightmare. "Why'd you take it if you hate it so motherfuckin much?'

"Because I hate myself and love to suffer," he replies, straight-faced and ornery as ever, making you cackle and almost fall over laughing. You lean against him as you chuckle, and he shoves you halfheartedly, rolling his eyes with a small smile.

"Now I dunno about you, but I'm itchin to watch some motherfuckin movies and chill. What about you bro?" you smile, and he grins, going on about some movies he got recently, already heading to his dorm to watch em. You end up curled up with him on the couch, running hand through his short, spiky hair til he calms down enough to doze, sleepy and content, and you smile as you curl up and doze with him.


End file.
